Top Drawer Autumn 2018

I’ve only just got over doing Top Drawer, a homeware, gift and interiors trade show based in Kensington Olympia. It was from the 9th-11th September with Saturday the 8th for set up. I was exhibiting in the ‘Spotted’ which is for new businesses that haven’t exhibited at a Tradeshow before. It was a great space where many of us shared our experiences of running a new business.

Exhibiting our candle range, and new diffuser range (out mid October), I had a very small 2m x 1m stand but it suited our needs. I thought long and hard about how to make our stand, stand out as I know there is A LOT of competition within the candle industry. I would normally go for black, but going to similar events and the 2018 Spring/Summer show, many stands were using monochrome tones. So I (rather scarily in my opinion) went for a rustic / dusty pink!

I was on a very strict budget - virtually zero! I decided to not paint the stand as you only had the day before to set up and you needed to paint it back by the time you left or pay a hefty bill! So I decided to cover it in fabric. I know what you’re thinking, isn’t this more expensive then painting?? Luckily, Ikea came to my aid and I bought a couple of sets of the Vivan curtains at only £10 each. The idea was to pleat the fabric by pre-sewing the top, stapling the fabric to the stand and then stretch and staple the bottom. It worked a treat and was really effective.

For the table, I already had a cart that we use for weddings - great for a sweet station or cocktail bar! - and colour matched the paint to the fabric. Flowers and foliage were of course the finishing touch, all bought from New Covent Garden market.

Here is the stage by stage set up and the final result:

I was really happy with how the stand turned out, and it definitely caught peoples eyes! The black branding really stood out, and looked tasteful rather then cheap which was my worry next to pink - such a hard colour to get right! By the time the show was finished, I had met some fantastic brands and came back with a number of wholesale orders - result!